ODOT to outline future of stalled Wickiup Jct. overpass

The Oregon Department of Transportation announced Friday it is holding a meeting at La Pine City Hall Monday night to inform the public about the status of the stalled Highway 97 Wickiup Junction railroad overcrossing, hit by a pair of major setbacks in the past year.

The project was suspended in May after a settlement issue came to light in the embankments near the new structure.

It’s the second time in less than a year an unexpected issue delayed the project. Work stopped in August of 2016 when an accident sent two large concrete beams crashing to the ground.

After the latest ground settlement problem, ODOT contracted with a third-party engineering firm to study the issue and make a recommendation about the fate of the project.

The results of that study and the future of the Wickiup Junction project will be released to the public on Monday at 6 p.m. at La Pine City Hall.

The $17 million project north of La Pine is to designed ot provide a bridge for vehicles to cross over railroad tracks at the Wickiup Junction intersection.

There are about a dozen trains passing through that area daily and the number is expected to increase in the future. About 10,000 vehicles drive through that area on Highway 97 daily and that number is expected to rise to 13,000 by the year 2032.

Many drivers do not expect to stop for a train along a U.S. highway. The overpass was supposed to be finished this fall.

NewsChannel 21 will be at the Monday night meeting and will have the latest on ktvz.com and NewsChannel 21 at 10 & 11 p.m.

Here’s a link to project details: http://www.oregon.gov/odot/projects/pages/project-details.aspx?project=09679